Alone Does Not Equal Strong
by Yezzixa
Summary: Liandra just wants a normal life. But when the Brotherhood wants her powers, the life she doesn't want is shoved in her face. Is there nothing left to do but accept? AU, after X2
1. The Struggle

Disclaimer: I do not own the x-men. Actually.

Hi again. I know this is soon upon finishing The Butterfly Effect, but I figured, if I have the chapter lying around I might as well get it up and see what people think, before I continue it, don't I?

No info here, I just want to know what people think of this. Is it worth continuing? I have the story well plotted, and most details are finished in my head, so with the right encouragement I should be able to write this.

Or well, I should say this is after X2, sort of replacing X3.

So, what do you think?

* * *

Liandra Smith shivered and pulled the thin, green jacket tighter around her. It was too cold for only that, but it was all she had. She walked with quick, hurried steps and couldn't wait until she was back in the bar, where she felt, well, not safe but less haunted than she usually did. The air was still but the chill hit the young woman like a slap in the face and she hugged herself as she walked, shaking her head to refocus. 

The sky was clouded and gray, and the sounds of the city were all around her, drowning out her own thoughts. The night had been restless and she hadn't been able to sleep, and after two hours of lying awake in the bed she had moved to the armchair in the living room, wrapped a blanket around her and stared at the phone. There had been no phone calls this night, and around five she had made herself coffee and jumped into the shower.

Three cups later, she had felt human enough to get dressed and leave for work.

She reached the entrance and for a moment, she stood there, watching her breath rise like a mist into the sky. She smiled to herself and stepped into the warmth.

The warm, slightly stuffy air inside hit her in the face, but she welcomed it. She looked around, removing the scarf around her neck, and saw Matthew sitting in the bar, reading a newspaper. He hadn't noticed her entering, but when Liandra removed the jacket and hung it on a chair, he looked up from the crossword he was working on. "Hey. You look like shit."

Liandra scrounged her face at him. "Thanks. Really." Matthew just shrugged, pulling a hand through the thick, dark hair. "Li, help me? You're always so great with this shit…" He waved the newspaper a bit and Liandra walked over to him, pulling off her gloves. She glanced at the page. Matthew pointed out to her where he was having problems.

Liandra shook her head at him. "Half of half, Matthew? Half of half. What is a half of a half? Seven letters, hint, it begins with a Q." She grinned at him and he made a face at her. Matthew was undoubtedly an attractive man, in his mid thirties, taller than the average, broad-shouldered and sturdy. His hair was thick and dark, but there were a few gray's here and there. His eyes were dark, slightly protruding; his nose thin and with a small bump, his jaw broad and his lips seemed to be smiling all the time.

He owned the bar, and conclusively, he was Liandra's boss. She owed a lot to him; she was young, had no experience, and he'd taught her what she needed to know to work as a bartender. He appreciated Liandra's speed, her ability to learn new things in a flash, and she appreciated his respect for her privacy.

He rolled up the newspaper, grimacing at her. "Yeah, yeah. Well, thing is, I've got to dash for a while. Some important things to take care of. Think you'll be fine on your own, 'til Sander decides to drop by?" Sander was another co-worker, and that was the lot of them really. It wasn't a big place and there weren't that many customers. Seldom where there new faces.

Sander was shorter than Liandra, with a fair complexion. He was a bit stubby, but the beer belly only covered the muscles. He was very strong. He had light brown hair that had grown thin over the years and some time not too far from this he would have a bald spot, which Liandra teased him about. He had watery, blue eyes and a large, sharp nose. Ironically, he was an ex-alcoholic who was now completely sober.

She nodded and Matthew smiled. "Great, darling. Great. Now I've got to be off or I'll be late. See ya." He grabbed his coat and left, and Liandra waved with a smirk on her lips. Off to see the boyfriend he was having an affair with, was he? She joked with herself. Shaking her head, she jumped over the counter and began cleaning the glass

Sander wasn't the most reliable person. He could come and go a bit as he pleased. He was usually late, but that was because he was very easily distracted. Liandra didn't understand much psychology, but Sander's mind was everywhere sometimes. He was sweet, surely, but she would never spend more time with him than at work, same with Matthew.

Then again, she never spent time with anyone outside of work. She had her books. It wasn't like she spent all day and night inside, she actually went out. To the library to read, to cafés where she could sit and scribble in a pad, to museums where she could gather inspiration and watch simple beauty hanging on the walls.

People weren't really her thing. Studying them was fascinating because she would probably never understand the way they behaved, the reason behind their actions. She wanted to, desperately, but had settled for knowing everything about everything else instead.

Not to say she was completely anti-social. Liandra had had a few boyfriends, the total amazing amount adding up to three. Ever. Twenty years old, it was a bit of a laugh but the thought of having someone in her life; living with her constantly… it frightened her. Someone who would want to know things about her, about her past, want her to tell things she didn't want to share.

No, that wasn't for her. She was happy as it was, coming home to an empty apartment and just being able to enjoy the silence. New York was never really quiet, but sometimes Liandra could pretend that she was all alone in the entire world. No one to have responsibilities for, no one to worry about, no one to care about; she didn't get lonely anymore.

"Now this is more my kind of company," she mumbled and picked up the half-assed crossword. She looked it over and corrected the many wrongs of Matthew's and filling in other words. Crosswords were friendly and easy, in every box a letter and every string of letters had to make up a word. It was simple, really.

This one she finished in ten minutes, and then she was bored. Tapping her hands on the table, she chewed a little on her lip, trying to think of something she would like doing right now. She thought a bit about Matthew, about her imaginary boyfriend to him. He was cute, younger than Matthew by about ten years. Light, golden brown hair and happy, carefree eyes, and pointed jaw and feminine cheekbones. A broad nose, which pointed upward a little, and he had freckles. Slim build, he was working as a lawyer, his father was one too. Following daddy's footsteps and both the parents were so proud of him. They supported him; even if he was homosexual, and they only hoped that he would find someone he could be happy with.

Liandra laughed out loud at her little game. It was a pastime she indulged in far too often, but it was also a very good way of finding inspiration to write. She leaned her head against the counter, feeling tired after being awake all night. There was a lot to worry about, and worry led to staying awake.

The door jingled and Liandra looked up, raising her eyebrow. A young man she hadn't seen before stood in the door, looking unsure if he should go in or not. His blond hair was slicked back and his face was a bit round, and his large, burning eyes looked tired. His lips, however, were curled into a dark, cruel smile.

"Liandra Smith?" he asked, and Liandra nodded, feeling her mouth go dry. For the past week, she had been getting phone calls from a stranger, who had made her certain offers. This was the same voice as the one that had been harassing her. She was sure of it, even if he had only spoken her name.

"We have… spoken on the phone. As I'm sure you've already figured out." Liandra just looked at him, blankly, taking him in. He smirked. "My name is Pyro." He was playing with a Zippo lighter, pushing it open and flicking it shut in a repetitive, compulsive manner. All his strength lay in that lighter, Liandra thought. She tried to push it away, her little game, but it wouldn't stop. John Allerdyce, no, Saint John even. He… 'Oh God,' she thought, 'he really is a mutant.'

Saint John, or Pyro, was still smiling. "I'm sure you know why I'm here," he said with a suave confidence Liandra did not like.

"Yes," she said. "And my answer is still the same. Now get out of my bar."

Pyro chuckled. "We could help you, help you develop and make you more powerful than you could ever imagine! The Brotherhood is looking for someone with your precise talents, someone with -" but he didn't get further than that, because the door opened behind him and Matthew entered, together with a slim, freckled young man in a suit and tie.

Matthew had his hand on the gun he carried inside his jacket. "Is there a problem here?" he asked, eyeing Liandra's distressed face and Pyro's smile. "You okay there, Li?"

She nodded. "Yeah. Just get him out."

Pyro smiled wider, holding up his hands. "Don't let me be a bother." He shot a look at Liandra and pointed at her, "See you 'round, _Li_." Then he casually walked past Matthew and his companion, nodding politely at them before he left.

Liandra sat down on the chair again, not realizing she had stood up. Then she smiled at Matthew, waving her hand. "Nothing to worry about, I would have handled it."

Matthew smiled back at her. "Sander still not in?" She shook her head. "Ah well. Li, there's someone I'd like you to meet. This is Jonathan, my-"

"Boyfriend," Liandra filled in for him, suddenly not smiling anymore. "I've gotta go, Matt."

* * *

It wasn't happening. It really couldn't be happening, not again. She had worked so hard on suppressing it, getting rid of it and everything that had to do with it. The incident, four years ago, when she had been fifteen, she had removed it as much as possible. She could never forget, of course, who could forget something like that? 

But now it was returning, she could feel it, it was awakening and she didn't like it a single bit.

Liandra was pacing the living room, from the window to the kitchen entrance back to the window, and so forth. Matthew had left a worried message on her answering machine, but he had sounded a little tense. He probably thought it was because of him she had stormed out, because of them. But it really wasn't, she was just…

Things were going out of her control, quickly. And the more she thought about it, the more logical it was, that this game of hers… it wasn't a game and it never had been.

The phone rang. She didn't answer. She knew who it was, because she didn't have any friends. No one else would call her at this hour, and she wasn't sure if she could answer, or if she should.

She picked up the receiver.

"Ah, you finally answered. I was beginning to lose hope." She could hear it, the sadistic smirk on the other end of the phone. _I was beginning to worry, Annie_. She bit her lower lip. "What is it you want?"

"The same as always. I want to extend an official invitation to you, Miss Smith. To the Brotherhood of Mutants."

"I don't know what you're talking about. As I've told you, I'm not a mutant." She hated this. That he knew, knew what she had kept away from everyone.

She felt the smirk. "Ah, Liandra, but you are. You are very much so. And the sooner you accept this, you can start getting stronger and more powerful. You have the potential of being a very, very powerful telepath and your telekinetic abilities wouldn't be too shabby either." His voice, his words, they were taunting her, trying to cause a reaction.

"Shut up and leave me the hell alone!" she screamed into the receiver, and they both knew he had won this fight. She pressed away the call and wondered if she shouldn't switch back from wireless, only so she could slam the phone on people.

There was a vibration in the air, and Liandra felt she had to calm down. It was some time since she had last had an accident, and then it had only been a small one. Just some broken glasses and stuff like that. This felt worse though, and if she didn't calm down…

She slapped herself lightly and refocused, then decided to take a shower. Some cold water would do her great.

The phone called once more while she was in the shower, and she heard someone leave a message. She dried off and pulled on a robe, went out and clicked the replay machine. The cold, robotic voice told her she had "ONE, new message," and then the beep.

"Hey, Li, it's me, Matt. I was wondering if you're coming back to work tomorrow. I mean, you still work here ya know. Just thought – well, yeah. I'll see ya, kiddo."

* * *

_There was darkness again. She recognized this darkness. The smell of dust and old carpet surrounded her, and the quiet whimpers filled up her head. She couldn't focus. Everything slipped away, in and out without any sort of grasp. Holding the teddy bear harder, her lips formed a soundless prayer._

_"Annie? Annie, where are ye, ya lousy li'l brat!"_

_Hold your breath. Don't make a sound._

_It happened so quickly._

_Boom._

* * *

She sat up, sleep fading away quickly. She was drenched in cold-sweat and shaking like a baby bird, and bit her lip hard not to scream. The taste of iron filled her mouth, and she slapped herself hard. 

Glancing at the clock, Liandra saw that she had gotten two hours of sleep tonight. Were two hours really better than nothing? She wasn't sure. Nightmares were never pleasant. She got up, and jumped into the shower.

An hour later she was fully dressed. It was four in the morning. She sat down in her arm chair and stared out the window, at the never seizing life and sound of the city. That was one of the reasons she loved New York – she was never alone.

Four hours later, she left for work.

It turned out to be about as awkward as she had thought it would be. She explained to Matthew that her running out had nothing to do with him being gay, or bisexual, or whatever he was. The feeling was tense when he left a while after, saying he would be back that afternoon.

The place was empty until eleven, when a few people came, including Bill, one of her favorite regulars. He treated her nice, chatted with her a little every time he came in and didn't look down on her for being so young. Bill, or William Graf, was a middle-aged slightly over-weight man who worked at a bank. He thought his job was dead boring, but stuck with it because of his wife, whom he loved much, and three kids. The oldest one turned fifteen in a months time, and the youngest one had recently turned ten.

Bill had a round face with large eyes, a small, pointy nose and thin lips. His hairline has risen a little in the past years, and there were some grays here and there, but for the most part it was still there on his head. Today, he was wearing a dark grey suit over a striped, blue-and-white shirt.

He smiled and sat down by the bar when he came in. "Hey, Liandra," he said cheerily, but looked her over and changed facial expression to a frown. "What's up, you seem a bit tense?"

She shrugged and smiled, pouring him a beer. "Ah, nothing really. I haven't slept all that well, is all." Bill smiled warm-heartedly at her. "Sure, kid?" she nodded. More people came in and she went in to the small kitchen to fix a few lunches.

When she came out again, she was greeted by a most unpleasant sight. The most unpleasant sight smirked and waved as he saw her. "Miss Smith, how nice that you're in."

"Wish I could say the same, Pyro," she grunted and handed out the lunches. She felt Pyro's eyes burning in the back of her neck, and did her best to act normally. When she returned to the disk, Bill raised his eyebrows at her. She shrugged and smiled.

"What do you want, Pyro?" she muttered and took out a rag to swab the bar, just to have something to do. Pyro chuckled. "You know what I want, _Li_." Again with the mocking way of saying her name. "I want you to come with me."

"And I've already given you my answer." She growled, looking him straight in the eye. "No way in hell."

Pyro smirked. "I'm almost happy you say that." He stood up and then cackled like a maniac, snapping his fingers. Large flames of fire spurted from his hands, and he beamed at her. Bill ran up to his feet, and the other customers screamed and most of them ran out. Pyro didn't stop them, but had his focus set on Liandra.

"C'mon, pretty. Join us. You'll be strong and powerful! Join in and have a piece of the new world."

Liandra was frightened, and glanced to Bill, who looked like he really didn't know what to do. Pyro cackled again. "Too slow, pretty. Hope you like barbeque!" He aimed his arms to Bill and long flames licked their way to him, eating the furniture on its way.

By pure instinct, Liandra threw out her hand toward Bill as the flames began eating at him. He was screaming, but didn't move.

Pyro stopped shooting fire at Bill, and turned to Liandra again. "Looks like you know more than I thought you did, huh?" He laughed more. "Well, I think you'd better come with me because-" She didn't want to hear what he had to say. She really didn't want to hear.

With a flick of her other hand, she threw Pyro into a wall. It felt good, using her power to do this, it felt right, but she knew, she knew that it was wrong of her. She would have to run away again, leave New York.

"Stronger than I thought. Ready to use your powers," Pyro coughed and then laughed. Liandra growled and aimed her arms at the flames, trying to close them in the way she had closed in Bill, who was still standing frozen, staring at the both of them. "Bill, get out, please." She growled, feeling her strength fail. She was not used to using her powers, and the fire was strong. And Pyro was definitely stronger than she.

"Bill, please." She muttered through gritted teeth, as Pyro directed his flames at her. She let go of the flames and held her arms in front of her, creating a protective shield. The flames pushed against the shield, but she forced it back.

Back on to Pyro, who was pushed back by the force.

The door flew open, and someone dressed in dark clothes came in, blasting Pyro with some sort of laser. Liandra's eyes widened, but her powers failed her, and everything went black.

* * *

So, I want to know. What do you think? Should I keep on? Or is it not worth it? 


	2. An agreement

**Disclaimer: I do not own the X-men. Man I wish I did. I'd be a lot happier then.  
I do own Dimitria Brachares, Sean Black, Anya West and Liandra Smith, but so far, that's about it.**

So, thanks to happy response, I've decided to continue. I think I was going to anyway, but at least now I know there's an interest )

Next chapter involves more OC's, and this chapter brings in a character whom I missed a lot throughout the movies. One of my favorites. Also, it brings back a character I sorely miss in the third.

**Happy reading!**

* * *

Dimitria was furious, to say the least. She paced, walking from one end of the room to the other, growling under her breath and clenching her fists. She stopped as the door opened, flipping her ebony braid over her shoulder.

"You!" She exclaimed, pointing at the young man who entered the door. Pyro looked up at her, surprised. "You, you!" she repeated, boiling with anger. Pyro smirked, but she knew he was nervous, she could see it in his eyes. "Hey, Electra, how's it-"

"Don't you give me that bullshit!" she yelled. "I gave you a simple task, a VERY simple task. Bring in the bloody telepath; just bring in the fucking girl. And what do you do? Not only do you stall the mission for days, but now you've practically HANDED her over to THEM!" She growled, clenching her fists harder.

"Hey, it's not like that, she was stronger than-"

Dimitria sighed in frustration, and threw her hands up in the air. "You're still stronger, and hell, she's still just a girl, weak. No, you don't get it Pyro. You're just a kid yourself. But who's going to get in trouble for this, huh? Red already knows, and who is getting the shit, you think?" Pyro stared at her, thinking to himself that this lady sure was scary. Sometimes, she was scarier than Red, or than Magneto even, but only when she was mad.

"Just… Just get out of my sight, Pyro. And don't think you're going to get any fun in the nearest, oh, like twenty years. You fucked up. And I don't like it when people fuck up."

Pyro nodded slowly, considered bowing to mock her but decided against it, and left through the other door in the room.

Once she was sure he had actually left, Dimitria sighed and sunk down to the floor. This was definitely not good, and Red was going to be very, very angry with her. No she wasn't, but she was going to have a lot of fun, that sadistic bitch. And Dimitria would take it because she just didn't have anything else to do.

Pulling up her knees toward her torso, the young woman let her head drop, leaning her forehead against her knees. Pyro was just a worthless lapdog, and still in Magneto's eyes he had more status than she did. She was stronger, older, and much more reliable. But none of that seemed to matter.

She felt a chill down her back and knew that she wasn't alone. The shadows in the room grew darker, and she sat up straight, rolling her eyes. "Come out of there, Shadow."

A contour grew in the corner, forming first a blob and then a more human-like shape, until a man formed and stood up, smiling gently. His dark hair was tousled, and the burning green eyes looked at her as though they knew all the secrets in the world. He was taller than she, and skinny. She barely ever saw him eat, and they had been living in this metal can for the past four months.

"Sorry, 'Mitri," he half-whispered, bending his head down so the cartoon-like shadows fell over his face. Part of his mutation, exaggerated shadows. "Just thought I would pass by without disturbing you. Seems I failed." He flashed a half-smile at her. "Shall I move on, or would you like company?"

Dimitria held back a sigh. "Keep on. I'm sure you have other things to do, Shadow." He nodded, and flashed her a smile again. "Don't worry so much, 'Mitri. Things will work out for the better, sooner or later. I'll see you around." He looked thoughtful for a moment, hesitated, then smiled and walked through the door.

Shaking her head, Dimitria couldn't help but smile. Shadow was incredibly sweet. His real name was Sean Black, and he had been here when Dimitria came to this metal can four months earlier. He was very shy and quiet and didn't want to take up any unnecessary space.

His face was thin and seemed slightly hollow, he had circles under his eyes and was very pale. His entire body was thin, and he always looked newly awoken though Dimitria knew he never slept. His hair was tousled and he was sometimes unshaven, but he didn't have a reflection because of his powers. He didn't have a shadow of his own, although when they were outside he often created one by borrowing a shadow from something else.

Dimitria stood up again and walked out in the corridor. She noticed Anya standing in a doorway. Anya was a sixteen year old telepath, and when she had come here her powers had been fairly weak, but her strength had grown considerably. Anya was mute from birth, but now she could communicate by using her mind, something she would never have learnt without the help of Magneto and Red.

Anya turned around and smiled at Dimitria, who rolled her eyes inwardly. "Talking to Gambit, Electra," Anya mouthed. To avoid confusion, the young girl actually mouthed whatever she told others, and it seemed as though she was actually talking, unless you were standing next to her when she was talking to someone else. Dimitria waved her hand at the young girl, and walked past her.

Arriving at the door she was heading for, she closed her eyes and clenched her jaw. She was not looking forward to delivering the news.

* * *

Liandra awoke with a start. Her body jerked awake, her mind still in the last memory of Pyro being slammed into the wall and flames, flames everywhere. But there was nothing here, and after blinking a few times her mind cleared. No Pyro, no fire and no Bill; instead there was a cold, sterile room filled with laboratory equipment.

"So I've been taken in by the government for mutant experimentation," she thought, breathing heavily. She felt weak, but if she had to she could muster up some energy to defend herself. Pulling her feet over the edge, she noticed she wasn't wearing the same thing as she had been whenever she was awake last. She glanced around, and on a chair there was a zip-up hoodie that she grabbed and pulled over the tank top she was wearing.

Sneaking around a little, she saw a large, round opening marked with an 'X'. X marks the spot, she figured and walked toward the door. She paused and heard footsteps on the other side. No good, she thought and glanced around, took a metallic tray firmly in her hands and waited for the door to open.

When it did, she whacked the tray as hard as she could in the person's forehead. It was a short, broad man, who fell backwards because he was unprepared for the blow. Liandra didn't stop to look more at him, afraid she might not have been strong enough to get him out for very long. She jumped over the man, and ran through the corridor.

Everything looked the same, and she glanced behind her and saw the man still on the floor, so she decided to go against everything she believed in. But she needed to know what door led away from here, and that man would know.

She concentrated very, very hard on the man and on finding an exit. It worked. She ran up to the door that led in to an elevator. It was the longest elevator ride in her life. Since she wanted nothing but to get away, of course it would be, but now she had also opened up her mind, which meant that she heard things she didn't want to hear. "Block it off," she muttered under her breath, rubbing her temples.

The elevator stopped and the door opened. She glanced outside, an empty hallway. Perfect. Empty means easily avoiding people. Carefully, she walked out, and the elevator door closed behind her.

"Stay calm," Liandra thought, biting gently on her lower lip. "No one is here. Just find the nearest exit. This doesn't look like a government thing though." The large increase of movement in her mind told her there were people coming. The man from downstairs was in the elevator, "Shut it out!" and there was a stream of people coming down the stairs… what stairs? She noticed them and hid behind a pillar. No one took any notice of her.

Until the elevator door opened and the man entered the hallway. Liandra took another moment to study him, before she moved. He looked like he hadn't shaved for a couple of days, his eyes emitted anger and a sort of animal rage, and he had these enormous sideburns. His jaw was square; he had broad shoulders and a lot of muscle.

The people passed, but by then the man had already seen her. Logan, that was his name, damn this uncontrollable source of information that was her brain. There was no time to care about the other people around; Liandra sprinted off, evading the few others in there. They looked to be kids, this place was getting weirder by the second.

Glancing behind her, she saw the man trying to follow but he was slower than her. She ran a lot normally and barely ever took the subway or a cab, but usually walked to her destination.

With a thud, Liandra was stopped, lost balance and fell to the floor. She hadn't looked in front of her, and now she was staring up at a tall and very muscular young man. She took him in, knowing she had lost now. Black hair, dark eyes, Russian features, he was wearing a tight white tee and jeans. He seemed kind, but right now a bit confused and stern.

"Pete, great, you caught her," the man, 'Logan', grumbled, catching up. "She ran from downstairs, hit me 'cross the head with a tray!"

Pete, as 'Logan' had called the muscle man, laughed and offered his hand to Liandra, who felt for hissing and biting and kicking. "C'mon, getup!" Logan grunted, pulling her up. She wasn't sure what to do, she wasn't sure what she could do even. Against these two, she was no match at all. Brute power was more than she had.

She got up on her own, her eyes down on the floor, focusing on blocking everything out. One failure does not mean it's an impossibility to try again, she told herself, biting her lower lip.

"Come here, we ain't gonna hurt ya," 'Logan' grunted, and Pete nodded. "We are just taking you to see the prof, that's all," he said warmly, trying to cheer her up. Liandra kept her mouth shut; she wasn't going to cooperate with these people. Kidnapped, she had been kidnapped, by… "Oh god," she thought, her eyes widening. But 'Logan' and Pete didn't notice since her face was covered by hair. "They're mutant freaks. Easy, take it easy."

Liandra bit her lip hard as they led her toward another room, and she sensed someone on the other side. They waited for a moment, before Logan grunted and opened the door.

It wasn't exactly a vision of power that greeted Liandra's eyes. A bald man in a wheelchair, with kind but stern blue eyes and an expectant smile on his lips, looked at her. "Hello, I was expecting you. By the sounds of it, you put up a bit of a struggle down there."

"Sounds of it?" Liandra wanted to ask, but she stayed quiet. She wouldn't cooperate with freaks. The man in the wheelchair chuckled good-naturedly. "Peter, you can let go of her arm, it's quite all right. She isn't a prisoner."

"I'm not?" she let out, sounding acidic. "Sure fooled me."

She heard a low growl come from Logan, but both he and Pete had fallen back. Pete was leaning casually against the wall, his arms crossed, studying this with interest. Logan was just being grouchy in general. The man in the wheel chair smiled patiently. "I am Professor Charles Xavier, and this is my school, the Xavier institute for Gifted Youngsters."

"Didn't ask, did I?" she muttered, standing straight and looking right at Xavier, meeting his gaze. He waited for her to continue. "Why did you bring me here?" she asked after a while, icily. "We happened to be in the neighborhood when Pyro attacked you. Your friend is fine, he has his memory altered a little but otherwise he is fine. We brought you here because you were unconscious, and because this is a place where you can be safe."

Liandra stared at Xavier, smiling coldly. "Thank you but I can handle myself." She made to turn around, but Logan glared at her, moving his arms slightly. "Kid, listen to him. This is serious."

"Why should I listen to a bunch of freaks?" Liandra hissed, glaring straight back. Pete moved slightly in the corner of her eye, and Logan growled, extending metal claws straight from his knuckles.

Her heartbeat quickened, but she stood firm. She would not let the freaks scare her. The tension grew between her and Logan, and things in the room began shaking. "Not again," she thought, trying to quench whatever power was moving within her.

"Logan!" Xavier cried out behind her. "Stop this instant! Put down your hands, now!"

Logan growled again, but did as Xavier said. Liandra narrowed her eyes, finally regaining control over her powers. Willing her heartbeat to calm, she turned around to Xavier again. "All right then. I'll listen."

Xavier motioned for her to sit down in the chair in front of the desk. She did, slumping down in it like the epitome of a grouchy teenager. "So, what's going on. What's the deal."

She could sense Logan's rage behind of her, and also Pete's quiet contemplation. It was becoming annoying and she was getting a head ache. Just because she was going to get to know what was going on didn't mean she was working with these people, did it?

Xavier looked very patient and calm. "What do you know about Pyro?"

"Not much. And if I do, you might as well repeat it for me so I know I'm right."

He nodded. "Well, Pyro is part of a group called the Brotherhood, led by a man known as Magneto. Because of the events yesterday, we have strong reasons to believe that they want you, presumably for your powers."

"Like I said, I can handle myself. I don't need to be protected or anything."

Xavier put his hands together and looked at Liandra over them. "You're saying you aren't the least bit curious as to what they want you for?"

He had hit a weak spot, and by the look in his eyes, he knew it. He was a telepath too. She liked knowing everything, or at least as much as she could. She bit her lip. "I would prefer if you refrained from entering my mind," she said in a low voice. Xavier looked surprised for a moment, then nodded. "I apologize. Sometimes, it's hard to control what you know and should not know, is it not?"

Liandra shifted slightly in the chair, and began chewing on her tongue. "It's one of the biggest problems with being a telepath," Xavier continued, "To keep your own curiosity under control, even more so if you don't have control of your own powers." He smiled, and Liandra looked down in the floor again. "We can teach you a little control, enough for you to keep on pretending that your powers don't exist, instead of them doing a little as they wish every now and then."

She didn't know what to say. The silence pressed through the room, and she heard Logan breathing. This was a very difficult decision.

The door opened, and in the doorway stood a crouched but tall man. His skin was pale and his body thin but athletic-looking. His face was thin and his chin was pointy, his nose thin and his eyes brown. His hair was black, and when he saw her looking at him, he instantly checked his watch. A bit strange, which was why she took notice of it.

"Sorry, I did not mean to disturb," his accent sounded European, and Liandra knew he was from Germany. "I vill be back later, Ja?" Xavier waved him in. "Come, come, introduce yourself."

He moved shyly in but left the door open behind him. "Guten tag," he smiled shyly, locks of hair falling in front of his eyes. "My name is Kurt Vagner, I am a teacher here."

Liandra felt her heartbeat quicken. His demeanor was incredibly cute, and he was terribly attractive over all. She sat straighter. "I'm Liandra Smith." She said, but didn't smile back. It made him visibly more nervous, and he nodded to Xavier. "I'll come back later. Bye," he backed out and walked away quickly.

She felt Xavier's eyes on her. Damn, he knew, that freak of a telepath knew what she had been thinking and- wait, if she trained up her powers, wouldn't she be able to block out things like that? Other telepaths trying to read her?

"All right. All right, fine. I'll stay in this freak show until you've figured out what that Magnet-person wants with me." Logan growled behind her when she said freak show but she didn't care.

Xavier nodded and smiled. "We'll set you up with a room."

* * *

Dimitria put up her elbows on the desk and leaned her head against her hands. She was bruised up a little, but mostly her mind was aching. She rubbed her eyes and sighed, pushed her hair over her shoulder and pulled out papers from the drawer.

The machine was incredibly interesting, but Red had said that it would work. Apparently there was alien technology involved.

"The telepaths," she muttered, rubbing her eyes. "The telepaths are the important part." And that was exactly why they could not lose the telepaths.

They had three telepaths out of the five needed. And not just any telepaths either, they had to have the right potential. Enough potential so that together, they would be able to reach all over the world with their minds.

Of course, Red alone was strong enough for that, but that bitch didn't want to put her own life on the line in the same way as she was willing to put others lives on the line. They didn't even know what was really required of them, none of them knew the risks involved, except for Dimitria.

Dimitria was in this completely out of her own free will. She had nothing to live for, so where was the harm in dying for a cause instead of meaninglessly? Her powers were needed to control the electrical output to the machine, so there wouldn't be too much. They were training her to contain as much electricity as possible. By doing this, she would be able to suck all the power out of the surrounding area, and then control the bursts in which it needed to be fed to the machine.

She rubbed her temples as the door opened. Looking up, she smiled.

"Sittin' up here at dis hour, obsessin' ova' dose papers, cherie?" red eyes looked kindly at her, and Dimitria relaxed her tense body a little. "Gambit, shouldn't you be asleep?"

Gambit sat down on the edge of her desk, crossing his legs and smiling at her. "Ah, Mitri, Gambit be knowin' dat you would be awake, yeah? And well, ah jus' couldn't leave a pretty lady all alone, oui?"

She shook her head, but smiled. "Just looking things over, you know?"

Gambit put a hand over hers. "Obsessin', cherie. Not good for dat pretty head'a yours, Mitri. You be needin' rest. Why dun we lie down for a while, huh?" he stood up and took her hand in his, helping her up and over to the bed. She tried to protest, saying that she wasn't a child and could walk on her own, but he didn't listen.

"Mitri, none'a us think dis much 'bout dis thing. You, of all people, need'ta relax a little. Let us big people take care o'it all."

She glared at him. "Gambit, last I checked I was three years older than you."

He chuckled and patted her on her cheek. "Aight, den, let us young folks take care'a things. Old people should be restin'." He winked at her and stood up, turned off the lights and opened the door to leave. In the doorway he stopped, being silhouetted by the sharp light from the hallway outside. He seemed solemn.

"Mitri, seriously. You need ta' stop worryin' so much, things will be, well, it'll all turn out okay in de end." She closed her eyes, and she heard the door close. Gambit was sweet, but she didn't need to get attached. It had never turned out good in the past.

With those thoughts thought, Dimitria tried to ignore her aching body and her busy mind, and decided to try and get a few hours of sleep this night.


	3. Change of heart

Disclaimer: I don't own the x-men. I do own Liandra Smith, Dimitria Brachares, Cassiopeia Michaels, Samara Brache, Aymee Marsh, Sean Black, Anya West and Markus Grant. That's all so far I think. I use too many OC's.

Here it is. A lot later than I thought. I want to tell you all that I won't be updating for about a month, because my grandparents are flying in from the US and occupying my room. This means my computer is sort of off limits for that time, and they're staying here for three weeks.

That said, I still love reviews and might get the strength to write a chapter on another computer if I get enough feedback. Everyone loves feedback and encouragement. Like my boss telling me to keep up the good work, since I'm so nice to all the customers. That made me smile more and work faster. Feedback!

I'm considering saying that I won't even think about updating until I have at least five reviews for this chapter. I got a lot of comments on the first, telling me to keep on, and then barely anything for the second. Thanks to my lovely follower Twilight L. Xari, who always brightens my day, and whose comments I go back to read every now and then to get encouraged to write. Cookies to you!

...and a new chapter.

* * *

Xavier called on a woman named Ororo Munroe, a colored lady with blue eyes and white hair and fine, near royal features. She was very beautiful, Liandra supposed. Miss Munroe led Liandra up a few stairs, toward what would be her room. 

"You're going to be sharing, though," Miss Munroe said, "Almost everyone shares a room with another student. Cassy has been alone in her room for a few months now. Cassy is really sweet, I'm sure you two will get along just fine."

Liandra groaned inside at the way Munroe was talking to her. "I really don't expect to stay that long," she muttered, biting her lip so she wouldn't be rude. These people were dangerous, after all, and she wasn't stupid. "And you don't have to talk to me like I'm a kid! I'm nineteen, actually." The actually was stupid, she felt after she said it. Damn.

Munroe fell silent the rest of the stairs. When they were up, Liandra wondered why she was having a roommate in the first place. It was stupid; she wasn't going to bond with this girl or anything like that. Everyone here was mutant scum and she was only here because there was worse mutant scum after her. Or so they claimed. Now that she thought about it, instead of being blinded by a cute male, how could she trust that these people were the 'good guys'?

Then again, so far this group hadn't tried to flame her. But they had kidnapped her and now they were keeping her here. Although she couldn't claim it was against her will, she could probably leave anytime. They had only wanted to make sure she knew the circumstances first. And Munroe didn't mean any bad, she was just unsure how to treat Liandra.

Damn these powers, they seemed to thrive in this house.

They reached a door, and Miss Munroe knocked gently. There was a lot of rustling, someone said "Damn, where's my shirt?" and it took some time before someone opened the door.

In that time, Liandra decided to see exactly how much of this she could do. There was more than one person in there, and one was a girl, that much was obvious. The one who had spoken was a guy, he had brown, wavy hair, fairly long, and brown-green eyes. He was fairly tall, strong, toned body, sharp, broad features. Thin lips and an adorable smile, in fact the most adorable smile in the world, can't believe how those back muscles look…

She must have been tapping in to the girls' thoughts. The girl, Cassy, fairly short, short dark hair, slightly more athletic body than the average, brown eyes and a round face. The guy was her boyfriend Markus. Markus was wearing a dark green sweater and dark jeans, Cassy a white tank top and a dark red cardigan and black jeans.

The door opened, a girl with short, black hair, except for two strands in the front which reached below her jaw line. Her hazel eyes were curious, but shy, and her soft cheeks had a tinge of pink to them. She was wearing exactly what Liandra had thought, and glancing in to the room she saw that the boy looked as she had envisioned him.

"Hi!" the girl said shyly, the guy coming to the door as well. "I'm Cassy, this is Mark, my boyfriend." She blushed a little and flattened her hair, which was standing up quite a lot. The guy smiled and stuck out his hand. "Mark, like she said. You the new girl? There's been some talking about you." When Liandra didn't say anything, or shake his hand, he pulled it back slightly awkwardly. "Well, I guess we'll be seeing each other a bit, since you'll be sharing with Cass and we're like- yeah."

Liandra stared unblinkingly at him, and it was creeping him out. But she was only trying to block out the thoughts she was hearing, and it required concentration. Markus kissed Cassy on the forehead and went passed Liandra and Miss Munroe. Miss Munroe smiled at Cassy and turned to Liandra. "Now, I trust you can take care of yourself from here. It's late now, but tomorrow we can go to your apartment so you can get some clothes and other items you might need. As long as someone accompanies you, there shouldn't be too much trouble. I'll see you tomorrow, Liandra."

With that, she turned and walked away, leaving Liandra and Cassy alone. Cassy smiled and walked in to the room, sitting down on her bed. Her bed was unmade, the covers half on the floor and the pillows messed up, the effects of an hour-long make out session. Liandra closed the door and stood by it, looking carefully at the shy girl. She pushed back the locks of hair in the front, and twirled the hair between her fingers.

"So, what's your name?" she asked after a while. Her voice was soft and quiet; it didn't take up much space. Cassy didn't take up much space. Liandra glanced down at the floor, then moved over to the other bed, the one by the window. "Liandra Smith," she said after a while. There was no softness in Liandra's voice.

"I'm Cassy Michaels. I've been here like, two years. But I go home during the holidays and stuff. That is, my parents don't know that I'm, well, yeah." Liandra saw her yanking lightly in the longer hair. There was an uncomfortable silence. Normally, Liandra wouldn't have minded, except she sensed the discomfort from Cassy.

Cassy shifted positions in the bed, sitting on her knees. "We share a bathroom with a couple of girls next door, so there are two doors to lock, whenever you use it. We share it with Sam, Aymee and Rogue, they have the room on the other side." Liandra looked out the window, stared at the dark sky outside. It wasn't that late, but it was that time of the year. Liandra loved wintertime, as well as autumn, everything was so beautiful then. And there was nothing so beautiful as untouched stillness of snow.

The younger girl noticed her lack of interest and fell quiet. Several minutes passed, while Liandra just stared out the window, and she could feel Cassy looking at her, before she went over to the bureau and folded clothes from a pile on the floor.

Then the door opened. Liandra glanced over and saw a group of girls come in, talking loudly. Moments later, Cassy was trapped onto the bed by a girl with waist-length brown hair, and she was quickly joined by a young woman with dark green hair and intense sea-green eyes.

The most difficult part of opening the door is closing it up again, Liandra thought, but now she didn't read into the other girls. One more girl stood in the doorway, smiling slightly. She had long, brown hair, but with two white streaks in the front. Intriguing, Liandra thought, but realized herself that it probably was some part of the girl's mutation. While the other girls completely ignored Liandra, or simply didn't notice, the girl in the doorway smiled at her.

"Hullo," she said, and walked over to the other wall, closer to Liandra's bed. "Mah name's Rogue." She had a strong, southern drawl. "People, stop this and say hi instead!" she slapped the brunette in the back of the head, and she fell off the bed. "Ouch! Rogue! That was mean!" she looked up and saw Liandra looking at her. "Oh, hey," she grumbled something and glared at Rogue. "I'm Sam."

Sam was wearing a pair of baggy jeans and a loose, purple tee. Her hair reached down to her waist, and she was right now tying it up in a messy bun. Her eyes were olive colored, warm and happy, and her smile was very pretty. Sam grabbed hold of the green-haired girl, who raised her eyebrows, holding Cassy's head in her armpit. "Hey," she said, smirking. "Name's Aymee."

Aymee's hair was cut in a side cut, the color a sort of moss green. Her face was thin, and she was tall and spindly. Her arms were slightly too long for her body, and she was rather thin, and definitely the tallest of all of them. Cassy was the shortest, but the shortness suited her. Aymee was wearing a Nine Inch Nails shirt and dark jeans.

She stood up, seizing Liandra, then she crossed her arms. "I'm a goth, I'm bisexual, and I have a girlfriend, so if you have a problem, you can shut the fuck up or leave, 'cause I can't stand for what damage my fist might do to your face." There was a prominent British accent in her speech. Liandra shrugged. "What do I care about what you do in bed?"

Aymee laughed. "You know, I might just like you a bit. But don' worry, you ain't my type. I go for girl's like, well, Cass. But don't you tell Jess that, she might be worried." Cassy blushed and mumbled something, and Aymee laughed again. "See what I mean? So cute, it's irresistible."

"I'm Liandra."

"Calling Annie!" Sam yelled out, startling Liandra. "Don't worry," Cassy said, her cheeks still slightly pink. "Sam's a bit random. You should see her, as soon as anyone tries to call her Sama-AAAH!" Cassy couldn't get much further because she was attacked by Sam, who jumped on top of her with a pillow and began beating. "Never- ever- ever- call- me- that!" she said between hits. Cassy shrieked and giggled in a lively mixture. Sam calmed down after a while, her long hair everywhere, and grinned. "What if I called you Cassio-" the rest of the name was muffled out by Cassy putting a pillow over Sam's mouth.

Aymee grinned, grabbed a pillow and screamed, "PILLOW FIGHT!" throwing one at Rogue, who instantly joined. Liandra escaped out on the balcony, which she'd just noticed.

On the court outside, she saw two guys playing ball. One was Markus, whom she'd met earlier, and the other an athletic-looking guy with brown hair. They were talking at the same time, but Liandra shut off what they were saying and looked over the grounds. There were large woods all around, and she wondered how much was counted to this place.

It would be ok, being here, she thought as she heard Cassy shrieking again. At least for a little while, it wouldn't be so bad.

* * *

Cassiopeia Michaels was born to a pair of hard-working patriots. Charlie and Monica Michaels both worked a lot, throughout Cassy's entire childhood. When she was little there were neighbors who would check in on her after school, because her parents worked until the evening. When she was ten, those neighbors didn't come around anymore, because Cassy was a big girl. 

In school, Cassy had always been incredibly shy. Talking in front of the class was impossible, because her tongue would swell in her mouth and she couldn't talk at all. No one paid any sort of attention to her.

Until she began partying with a friend's older brother. Cassy was thirteen. She quickly got in to alcohol and boys, because she was so cute, and so willing. She did anything for these boys, because they saw her, they noticed her. They told her how nice she looked, how cute she was.

Cassy got pregnant and had an abortion. Then, suddenly, everyone knew who she was. In school they whispered about her, called her murderer and whore in ever other sentence. Cassy stopped going to parties, and almost stopped going to school at all. It just wasn't worth it, and she did nothing but wish again for the time when she had been just a nobody.

She began cutting herself. One day when she was bandaging her arm, she suddenly couldn't see it at all. It had melted in to the background. It happened several more times before she realized she was a mutant. She took the initiative to search on the internet, and found the Xavier Institute. After convincing her parents to send her there, saying it was just a boarding school, she finally found what could be seen as a home.

It didn't take long before her and Samara, who had already been there half a year, to become friends. Sam broke through Cassy's shields, and they became very close. Sam helped build up Cassy's confidence quite a lot.

Cassy met Markus in class. He came there after her, and he persisted long enough for them to become friends. That they became a couple seemed purely accidental, because they were fooling around once and it turned into a kiss.

Only a month before Liandra's arrival did they actually become a couple. Cassy is still frightened of what might happen if she would trust Markus too much.

* * *

Breakfast. The mere thought scared Liandra. Food in a large room filled with mutants. 

She actually tried correcting herself whenever she thought of them as freaks or anything else. The other girls had been up for several hours, talking and being friendly with her. Liandra hadn't participated much, but she had listened. And these girls were perfectly normal. She wasn't sure what else she had expected, but she was surprised at how quickly her thoughts were changing.

Liandra had stayed awake late, stared out the window at the stars and still expecting a phone to ring. Around five she had slumbered and half-slept, dreamt about the sky crashing down on her and jerked awake at half past six. Cassy stirred about ten minutes later and zombie-walked into the shower at quarter to seven, her hair standing on all ends.

She had made her bed when Cassy came out again, awake. Then she had waited for Cassy to get dressed and they had gone together to breakfast.

Cassy didn't say much, except for here's that room and there's this room. Then they came to the kitchen.

It was filled with people. Liandra saw Markus, and the guy he'd been playing ball with the previous night, sitting with a guy with white hair. Aymee was on her way to join them, but was intercepted by a brunette with a high ponytail and pushed to a table where Rogue was sitting, together with an Asian girl.

At another table, Liandra saw the man from the previous day who had peeked in to the office. He was sitting with Logan and another man who was wearing sunglasses.

On the counter were waffles and stuff to make sandwiches, cereal, and a large bowl of fruit. Not really much of a morning eater, Liandra took an apple and waited for Cassy to get what she wanted, and followed the younger girl to the table where Aymee and Rogue were sitting.

"Hey there," the girls Liandra didn't recognize said. "I'm Kitty," the brunette said, smiling widely. "And I'm Jubilee." The Asian girl said. "Liandra," she replied, and they returned to their conversation.

About half an hour later, Liandra noticed Sam jumping in, pulling on a sock. Liandra watched her as she took a plate and put a lot of food on it. She didn't seem to care exactly what she put on the plate.

Kitty giggled as she saw what Liandra was looking at. "Yeah, that's Sam for ya. Always hungry and always late." Cassy laughed at this, and they started talking about something else. Liandra wasn't interested. She watched Sam try and balance two plates and a glass of juice. Sam wasn't the most elegant of people either. She sort of half-stumbled and was about to fall, when a tall, broad young man caught her with one arm and one of the plates with the other.

"Careful, Sam," he said, his voice strongly accentuated. His hair was black and his skin a bit pale. He was Russian, no doubt. "Ask for help instead." Sam blushed deep, deep crimson, and mumbled something Liandra couldn't hear. The guy chuckled and helped her where they all were sitting. "More careful next time!" he said and left.

Sam sat down, still red as a tomato. The girls laughed and giggled in unison, and Sam looked so that the guy had really disappeared before burying her face in the table. Rogue turned to Liandra to explain. "That's Peter. Sam has the hugest crush on him; she'll just die before she admits it."

"Not true!" Sam exclaimed, looking up, still pink. "Just- just- shut up!"

"He likes her too," Cassy whispered to Liandra. "We notice. But Sam won't listen to us, because she doesn't have a crush on Pete. Not at all." She rolled her eyes and grinned. Then she smiled wider as Markus came over to them.

"Hey beautiful," he said and leaned down to kiss her cheek. Cassy blushed and giggled. "Hey Mark. How's it?"

"Oh, you know," he smiled. "We have classes soon though. Don't be late. I gotta go up, Bobby stole my notebook. See ya later, Cas." They kissed and the girls awed, except for Aymee who slammed her fist in the table. "Befouling my girl! Off! Off!" Markus just laughed and walked away. "Just teasin', Cas," she said and stood up, ruffling the younger girl's hair. "See y'all in class then."

* * *

The rain fell heavily around her, and if she had been standing in it she would have been drenched in a matter of minutes. Luckily, Dimitria was standing under a metallic roof. She studied the glow of her cigarette and took a deep drag, just listening to the heavy sound of thousands upon thousands of water drops crashing on to the concrete. She wondered how it felt to crash and shatter. 

She felt a hand on her shoulder and threw the finished cigarette out in the rain. A package appeared before her eyes, and she took another one, lighting it with a spark from her fingers.

"What'cha be doin' out here, cherie?" Gambit's silky smooth voice said from behind her. "'Cept smokin' dat be." Dimitria closed her eyes and took a few drags.

"Thinking." She said after a while.

Gambit smirked. "You tink too much, mon ami. Makes you weird in de head. You should tink less, feel more." Dimitria rolled her eyes and smirked. "Because we all know what head you think with, Gambit."

"Ouch, cherie. Ouch. And I be givin' you smokes an' all." He clicked his tongue and shook his head at her, but smiled. "Maybe I should be sendin' you to Shadow instead, huh? Or p'raps Pyro?"

Dimitria shivered. "Not the lap dog. That kid is pathetic."

They finished their cigarettes in silence, and Dimitria threw hers out in the rain. Gambit put it out on the concrete and put it in the box Shadow had designated for such a purpose. Dimitria rolled her eyes, but flashed a quick smile as they went inside.

Mitri returned to her room and found a box of light bulbs standing on her desk. She waved good bye to Gambit and sat down by the box, took one out and overcharged it. The fusing blew up with a pleasant pop. This was Dimitria's entertainment; there really wasn't much to do around this place.

She began thinking. What else was there to do?

This plan, if it worked properly, or if it failed, it would most likely take her life. It would most likely kill everyone inside the machine. What was she dying for?

When Dimitria was young, she had lived in Russia. Her family was strictly catholic, and she grew up in a small town where they all knew each other. Her brother had been four years older than her, and studying to become a priest. He had found her one day, when she was playing with her powers, not long after she had discovered them. Dimitri had smiled at her, tousled her long hair and told her, "God has a plan for all of us."

Only weeks after that, her entire family was killed because the villagers had found out about her. They thought she was evil and must be destroyed. They burnt down the house, and she could still hear the screams sometimes at night. But she had been out that night, and she ran away from there. Worked at various places to get enough money to escape from Russia and decide to start a new life in America.

She lived off of the words her brother had told her. That God really did work in mysterious ways. That He had some great plan with all of this.

When she was 21 she finally came to America. But it was almost harder to get by in the Land of Opportunities than in her home country. She got a green card, and got a job at a gas station. She was accustomed to hard work, so it was very easy for her to just arrive and stand behind a register all day.

Six months ago, she had met Gambit and a girl called Breeze. They were on their way somewhere, and Gambit had tried flirting with her. After not so long, he'd figured she was a mutant, and she figured quickly that Gambit was one. A month later, Gambit contacted her and asked her if she wanted to join a group called the Brotherhood.

She had accepted. And now, here she was, reading her own funeral papers over and over. What a life.

What a life.


	4. The Final Step

Disclaimer: I don't own the x-men. I wish. Covering my ass here. I own Liandra Smith, Aymee Marsh, Samara Brache, Cassiopeia Michaels and Markus Grant. I really, really want to own Remy LeBeau, so if someone feels like giving him to me for my birthday I would be really happy.

I know, I suck. I said within a month and now, two months later, I give you half a chapter. I'm wondering though, would it be better if I stick to a bit shorter chapters, but maybe actually manage to get chapters up a bit quicker? I don't know, I'm usually at updating once every two months but I'm not really happy with that, and as far as I can understand it's not the best thing for readers either. I get angst over trying to figure out what to fill the chapters with ;

So, some feedback would be nice. Shorter chapters, like this one, but with the possibility of quicker updates, or stick to the long chapters?

Also, Bastion is a sort of guest-artist from a different story created by my best friend, although I actually own him. Said story is not written yet though. :C Have a look out on my deviant art page, there will be some art for this chapter soonish...

READ!

* * *

"Yesterday at noon, the police apprehended the lead singer and bass player Bastion, of the band with the same name. He's under arrest for several rapes and the murder of Allison Trent, the twenty year old woman found in the rock star's apartment a week ago. Bastion's manager said that he has no comments at this moment, and that Bastion himself will talk when there are things to talk about. Graydon Creed, founder of the anti-mutant group Friends of Humanity, issued this statement at a press conference a few hours ago. 

"Something needs to be done. The police have in custody one of several mutants who have used their powers to exploit us, our kind. This mutant is not just anyone, but a person in a position where people, youths, will listen to him. Is this what we're going to tell our children? That someone with powers has the right to use them to their own advantage?"

Sam shivered and turned off the TV. This was all just complete bullshit, the Friends of Humanity. There were people who were good and there were people who were bad, and some just had advantages. That was true, but just as there are humans who will get into a car, lose it and run someone over, there would be mutants who abuse their powers.

But Bastion? Sam didn't listen to him, but she knew Aymee did. She was probably up weeping that her idol was a huge jackass. Ok, so she wouldn't. It wasn't Aymee's style to get upset.

Sam dragged herself off of the couch. What was next step? She didn't want to think about it. There had been mention on the internet about some sort of a registration, that mutants should get special ID's and the like. Sam definitely didn't like that idea. It was difficult enough only hiding your powers, but with something saying you were a mutant everyone in this school would be in so much danger.

Why not just tattoo 'freak' in their foreheads, while they were at it? Much easier to identify, and quickly too, but maybe that was too World War II like. Maybe Kitty would understand it better, she was smart and all.

Sam got up and left, and through the other door came Aymee. Scratching her head sleepily, she dumped herself onto the couch. Afternoon naps were the best, although she had slept into her Physics class. But she was in mourning, she supposed. Her e-mail inbox had been flooded with mails this morning from her internet friends about Bastion, their biggest idol. Ok, so Bastion wasn't her biggest idol, after all he was influenced a lot by Marilyn Manson, who was her biggest idol.

"Codswallop," she muttered and turned on the TV. Some shitty soap was running, and she settled nicely in the couch and very soon she was snoring lightly.

Passing by to see what the noise was coming from, Mark snickered to himself about all the opportunities he saw in the goth sleeping on the couch. He got out a marker and carefully leaned over her, giving her a moustache.

Job well done, he told himself with a grin as he walked out of the living room and into the newly decorated music room. Mark was quite decent at playing the guitar, but the guitar was one of those instruments everyone played. He remembered once when he'd gone in on Cas playing the piano. That had been so beautiful and he hadn't dared to disturb, so after a while he'd left her alone again. She wouldn't have played like that if she knew someone was in there, he knew that.

So maybe she wasn't the new Mozart, but she was cute and she had an incredibly gorgeous look in her eyes when playing. And she didn't play all that bad, but she needed a lot of practice.

Mark began tuning the guitar and stared out the window. There, on the other side, was Cassy, Rogue, Kitty and Bobby shooting some hoops. Liandra was leaning against a tree, sketching in a pad. The sun was shining but it was still a little chilly, of course the four players on the field didn't notice at all.

Liandra noticed Miss Munroe standing in the door, and when their eyes met, Munroe smiled. She came out, waving. "Liandra, there you are. I've been looking for you." Liandra stood up and she saw Cassy stopped playing and watched.

"You needed to get some stuff, yeah? Well come on, I've got a ride for you." Liandra followed Munroe inside and to the front door. There he was, that cute, nervous teacher she had met the other day. The same pale complexion and dark hair. He smiled at her, but still had a slightly nervous look in his eyes, hidden behind a lot of smiles.

Liandra forced herself to smile too. "Mr. Wagner, right?"

He nodded. "And your name vas Liandra Smith, ja?" She gave him a short nod, and then a silence ensued. Because she noticed he was becoming uncomfortable, Liandra smiled and nodded toward the door. "Want to get going?"

Wagner nodded and smiled. "Let's. My car is in ze garage."

* * *

On the sky outside, clouds were gathering. Ororo noted this with a displeased look, and then she glanced at Charles. He was correcting homework by his desk, but when Ororo looked at him he looked up and smiled. "You have something on your mind, Ororo?" 

"Charles, you picked Kurt on purpose didn't you?" Charles smiled innocently. "Whatever do you mean, Ororo?"

"That you chose him for a reason. You asked Kurt to cancel his class so that he could give Liandra a ride. He's the kindest and most caring person in this house. He could be up for the running of nicest guy in America." She broke for a moment, and then smiled slightly. "I get it. You're trying to make her friends with him, so that when his image inducer goes off one day, she'll be able to look past his appearance, and because of it get over her prejudice for mutants over all?"

Charles smiled. "Ororo, you said it, not me."

Ororo glanced back out the window and watched as Liandra and Kurt walked to the garage, and smiled a little. Maybe it could actually work. Then again, if Professor Xavier believed in it, of course it would.

* * *

"Just turn in here and find a parking space." 

The car ride had been very quiet at first, but after Kurt's insecurity had managed to infect her as well, she had begun asking a few casual questions. She'd found out that Kurt was a teacher and that he taught German and had been talking to a few children about maybe starting a theology class as well. He was 24 years old and had been at the mansion for six months.

Liandra hadn't said much about herself, except that she had quit school when she was fifteen. But her memory was incredibly detailed, and because of this she'd had a very easy time self-educating herself.

The car, or rather Kurt, pulled over and parked outside her building. It was a bit run down, but it was livable and more importantly affordable. Not that she would be here for a while, she supposed.

Kurt cleared his throat, bringing her attention. "I'll just vait in ze car, zen? Vill you be all right?"

"Of course I will." Why wouldn't she? She unbuckled and stepped out of the car. "Be back in twenty minutes." Without waiting for an answer, she opened the gate and headed up the stairs.

Her apartment was as it always had been. She checked her phone, there were no new messages, and the only mail she'd gotten was bills. Liandra headed to the bedroom and got a bag, filling it carefully with folded clothes. Her room was neat but empty, just a bed, a table and a wardrobe. There were a few books on the table, none worth mentioning, and a lamp. That was it. The blinds were pulled still and the window open a little.

She closed the bag and put it by the door, and then headed to the kitchen to remove anything that could possibly restart evolution if she was gone for too long. Just as she was wondering if she had actually bought the cheese moldy or not, the door bell rang.

Closing the fridge, she headed back to the door. Through the peephole she saw a young, rather handsome man. Frowning, she unlocked and carefully opened. "Yeah?"

The young man smiled. He had brown hair that reached down to his cheeks, and was wearing sunglasses. He had a broad jaw and a lean but very toned body; Liandra could tell because the tank top he was wearing underneath a long coat was kind of tight. He was tanned and had muscular arms, and was maybe a head taller than her.

"Allo, cherie," his voice was dark and heavily accentuated, southern. New Orleans, part Cajun, and… Shut up, brain. "You be Liandra Smith, eh?"

Liandra raised an eyebrow. "Yeah. What's it to ya?"

The Cajun smiled. "My name be Remy LeBeau, and I have somthin' for ya, cherie." He reached inside his coat and handed her a letter. It was a simple envelope, and he smiled charmingly as she took it. "Just remember ta keep an open heart, mon ami," he said and stroked her cheek.

Then he left without another word, leaving Liandra stunned. She wasn't sure what to make of this, and there was something about that man that made her mind spin. She went back to the bag and shoved the letter down in one of the pockets, deciding this man was either some random weirdo or one of the Brotherhood. Neither were interesting to her.

Glancing out the window for a moment, and then around the apartment, she sighed and gently gnawed at her lower lip. This was going to change everything for her, and she was really surprised at how easily she was agreeing to all this. The whole situation felt very bizarre, after all these people had kidnapped her, and the other group of people had very near killed her!

Why was she staying? Oh yeah. A few individuals gave her a very nice and comforting feeling. She couldn't help but smile a little as she remembered she was supposed to go back down to one of them.

As she locked the door, wondering when she would return next time, she thought about how easily humans sometimes would just go along with things. Most people are just looking for someone to lead them, someone to make their decisions for them, often so that when things go straight to hell or even worse, they had someone to blame.

Liandra, well, her curiosity had the upper hand in this game. She wanted to know where this road would take her.

And maybe being around people, even freaks, wasn't all that bad.


	5. Practice

**Disclaimer: I don't own x-geeks. But do not borrow without permission (a.k.a. steal) Liandra Smith, Anya West, Sean Black, Cassiopeia Michaels, Aymee Marsh, Samara Brache, or Markus Grant. _My lovelies._**

Whoo. I say I'll get it up Monday, I get it up Thursday. Yet I wrote it Friday. I'm weird. Next chapter, status: Half-finished. It's much easier to write five pages then ten, apparently, despite the fact that I then get out fifteen pages in two weeks when I can't get 10 in two months. ;;

Also, take a look at my profile, I'll be putting up some new art on my Deviant Art page, also I've finally gotten a sort of illustration to The Butterfly Effect up, and I'm sooooooooon finished with an illustration to chapter four here. I've got a picture of Liandra though, and I've got sketches of other characters from here. So check my profile for a link to my dA page.

Nuff bothersome talking.

* * *

"At least she took it, dun she?" he said and Anya nodded. "That's a good thing," she told him telepathically. "Nothing else you can do about it." 

Remy looked at the girl. She was so young, but so strong and incredibly powerful. Her potential wasn't much greater than her current level though, but that didn't matter. It was enough.

Sean entered the room, and waved a little at them. His hair was chaotic, but there was a calm in his eyes that made even Remy smile. It was still early morning, so not many were up and about in the metal can they lived in. It was definitely not a home, that much could be for sure.

The dark-haired young man grabbed a newspaper and began reading. He did that usually, and you never had to worry about Sean listening in or anything like that. He just zoomed out and into his own little world.

Anya smiled and shrugged, and moved to one of the cabins to search for something edible. Remy looked to Sean. "Anythin' interestin' in dere, Shadow?"

He looked up, dark eyes meeting red. "Nah. Just the usual BS. That rock star making headlines still and Creed acting up, polls show that approval for mutant registration has increased. But on the positive side, people seem to care more about the rock star then Creed."

Remy rolled his eyes but noticed Anya made a sudden movement of surprise. She looked to Remy and mouthed, "Something's happening upstairs." She hurried out into the corridor, and Remy, curious, followed. Sean looked up and saw that they had left the cabin open, went up and closed it, and then returned to his news paper.

* * *

"Ok, kids. Here's the deal. We have a new kid in need of serious training and the first step would be to show her some of your powers." 

Liandra hung out in the back, looking around at all the others. She recognized most of them, having seen them at breakfast or in the corridors in the past two days. They were all dressed up in some sort of leather outfits. All the outfits looked the same, plain black with a yellow X on the chest. Liandra had been briefed more about the X-men, and how they had saved the world on more than one occasion.

The man in front was Logan, the short man with claws who had brought her to Xavier when she'd tried to run on her first day, and next to him stood a man with visors who had introduced himself as Scott Summers. Although, she reminded herself with a smirk, in training they were called Wolverine and Cyclops.

She moved closer to Cassy, who was standing a few feet in front of her, and while Summers kept talking about safety regulations, she asked, "Do all of you have ridiculous nicknames like Wolverine?"

Cassy smiled. "Yeah, we all have codenames. Mine's-"

"Chameleon, since you were talking, I take it you want to volunteer?" Summers smiled and the other youths opened up a path for the now blushing Cassy. She made her way forward and Logan got out what looked to be a slide projector. Cassy stood in front of the wall and Logan directed the light toward her. "Ready, kid?" he asked, and she nodded, looking determined.

Summers turned down the light where she was standing and Logan turned on the machine. The image projected on to Cassy, and seconds later she wasn't visible anymore. The picture, an image of the Statue of Liberty, changed into a grassy meadow. But in the middle of the image was a part of the Statue of Liberty, with a grassy meadow laid above it. Half a second later, it was only grassy meadow.

"Chameleon here can do just as the animal she's named after, she melts in with her environment." Summers said, directing it toward Liandra. "Now, everyone, you know what to do. Get to your stations, we're doing some regular power control." Everyone spread out, and a few sat down. All in all they weren't that many, only ten plus Summers and Claws.

Summers called out, "Aymee, you're doing the glass today. No protests, you need to learn self-control." He continued to give instructions to others. Meanwhile, the boy with the white hair, Pietro, was in charge of slide changing for Cassy. Liandra had noticed that he was very fast, and he seemed bored with trying to change slides in Cassy's pace. Not so far from them, Aymee was staring, confounded, at an empty glass of water on a small table.

Aymee hated this exercise. It was stupid, to calmly fill up a glass of water. Really, really stupid. There was no point to it. And she just kept thinking of her mother all the time, when she was supposed to clear her head. Her mother, telling her that Jess was no good for her. She clenched her jaw, holding out one hand.

Sam was sitting with her legs crossed and her eyes closed. She was meditating to gather up energy. Bobby was standing not far away, planning something together with Mark, who was snickering. They moved closer to Sam, Bobby holding out one hand, but just as he was about to ice Sam's long hair, she turned around and pushed a heavy gush of wind at the pair of them, sending them into the wall.

Summers was laughing, until he heard a loud crash. Aymee had, instead of fulfilling her purpose, sent a large spray of water toward the glass and the blast had smashed it into the wall. "Aqua, control! Self-control!" he called out, walking over to her. The glass had smashed close to Cassy, who was imitating the Eiffel tower, and Summers headed to her to see that she was all right.

His cell phone rang and he picked it up. Glancing at the screen, he told everyone, "You guys will be ok for a few minutes right? Behave now!" Logan had left earlier without Liandra noticing, and now Summers left as well. This could be interesting, or possibly dangerous.

Pietro now began switching the slides at an increasingly high speed. Cassy worked hard to keep up, but she was getting visibly tired. Aymee growled and sprayed water at Pietro. "Leave her alone, Quicksilver!" she growled. "It's not fair. I don't get why they put you on Cassy, anyway, you just try to hurt her!"

Pietro, who hadn't been expecting to become wet, spun around, and Cassy leaned against the wall, now an ocean, panting heavily. She felt weak, because everyone else had useful powers and she couldn't even handle the weak ones she had.

Sam had moved up next to Aymee and they both nodded to each other. Aymee worked up water, extracting moist from the air around them, and gathered it into a ball. Sam got ready, but Pietro was grinning. He could outrun them any day.

And true to that, when Sam sent a strong gush into the water blob, Pietro ran out of the way and the water hit Cassy. Now not only tired but also soaked, she squealed and glared at her friends. They just shrugged, trying to look innocent.

Pietro had run over to Mark and Bobby, and they were standing laughing together. Mark whispered something to Pietro, whose lips twisted into a smirk before he ran off again, and began running in circles around Aymee.

Sam moved out of the way, leaned against a wall and just watched. Mark had moved away, hugged the wall to avoid Pietro and over to Cassy, who was sitting with her head leaned against her knees. He hesitated, but then he gave her a hug, even though she was wet.

Aymee was sending blasts of water toward Pietro, who was just too quick for her. "What's wrong, pokémon? Squirtle out of power?" Aymee growled again and kept shooting water toward him.

Peter came over and sat down next to Liandra. He rolled his eyes and shrugged. "Kids," he said with an apologetic laughter. She noticed his eyes were focused on one girl in particular, but she didn't say anything about it.

"I know," Aymee said, making the water into a long ray and sending it out on the ground, "that you like calling people by your collectibles, Pietro," she was hoping he'd slip on the puddles that were now forming, "But don't you think it's time to stop playing kiddy's games?"

Bobby decided now was his time to act, and seizing his opportunity, he froze the puddles Aymee had created, sending Pietro sliding into a wall. He laughed and proudly put his arms behind his neck. "Hey, Icepack!" Aymee called out, and Bobby turned to her, expecting a thank you. Instead, he was sprayed with water.

"What was that for, hey, I saved your ass!" this earned him another spray of water. "I fight my own battles," Aymee muttered, and started chasing Bobby. Pietro spotted his next victim, Sam, and began running around her. In the middle of this, Jubilee stood, shooting fireworks from her hands. She couldn't say she was bored though, it was all very fun to watch.

And in the middle of all this chaos, was a non-power struggle. Cassy and Mark had started rolling around, wrestling, both fighting to be on top. Liandra couldn't tell who was where because they were moving around very quickly.

Sam, growing tired of Pietro moving in her way wherever she tried to go, started laughing. Liandra glanced at Peter, who looked concerned. "Don't worry, she can handle herself." He looked at her and she noticed a slight blush creeping onto his cheeks. "Don't know what you are talking about," he mumbled, looking away. Liandra couldn't help but smile.

Meanwhile, the others had stopped fighting, because Sam's laughter was creepy. Sam's eyes began glowing, and she raised her arms, taking the air rush from when Pietro was running and turning it into a small tornado. The tornado soon grew stronger, but there was no wind outside of it, only inside. Laughing like a mad scientist, Sam plunged the tornado forward and it sucked up a screaming Pietro, who then could be seen zooming around inside of the vortex.

Realizing what was going on, Aymee tried to move out of the way, but she and Bobby and Jubilee were soon sucked inside the small tornado as well. Cassy and Michael didn't have time to perceive what was happening, busy with struggling, but they too were sucked inside. Peter held on to Liandra and to the wall, stopping them from being taken as well.

Sam was cackling madly, zooming the tornado from one end of the room to the other. The lot inside were screaming wildly, being thrown back and forth along the edges of the tornado. The tornado was in fact feeling quite pleased with itself. Not many tornados were created in closed in spaces like this, and despite being so young he had already sucked up six young people. It was really a blast!

Summers entered the room again, talking avidly to Logan. "They've really been…" he looked up and saw the chaos Sam had caused, torn up floor and the six teens trapped inside the tornado, "calm," he finished and Logan roared with laughter. "Yeah, real well-behaved there, One-eye. Does she have all of 'em in there?"

"No, Peter and Liandra are sitting there, on the edge." Logan smiled. "She's got much more control now, don't she? Much more than when she came." Summers nodded in agreement, but felt that he had to break this chaos.

"Samara!" he called out, "SAMARA!" she looked up, her eyes stopped glowing, her laughter fell silent and the tornado dispersed, dropping the others on to the floor harshly. There were loud moans and complaints, and Aymee got up on shaky legs, glaring at Sam. "You crazy bitch!" she yelled, almost falling over. "Crazy bitch!"

The others mumbled, agreeing with Aymee but too tired to say anything. "Bloody dumb-arse!" Aymee continued. "I'll give ya, I'll get ya… ooooh, too much blood to my head," she half fell back to the floor, holding her head.

Summers couldn't help himself but was smiling, and Logan was still roaring with laughter. "Come one, team, that's enough for today I think. Get out of here."

Peter got up and headed straight for Sam, helping her up. Mark glared at Peter, and not wanting to be any worse, he got up and tried to help Cassy. It didn't work so well, since he was still dizzy he just fell down and landed on top of her. She laughed and pushed him off. "I'm fine. Take care of yourself instead, you crazy."

Liandra wondered what it was like to really be part of these people. To belong and to have people who cared. Peter helped the rest of them up as well, so that it wouldn't seem suspicious he was only helping Sam. Liandra saw the look Sam sent after Peter, even though it only lasted for half a second.


	6. Walk in the Woods

Disclaimer: Who gives a damn anyway?

Yay. Another chapter. Great. xP On another note, school starts for me on Friday so it'll probably be back to my old uploading schedule. That is, one chapter in forever. But I will try to get a chapter once a month, but I've never had a job at the same time as going to school before. No garanties for the coming month though, because I'm going to a convention in the end of September and need to work on my costume.

Yays!

* * *

At the age of Eight, Samara showed her first signs of being a mutant. Her mother caught her soaring half a foot over her bed one morning when the window had been left open. Panic had risen and Sam had sworn never to do things like that again.

Curiosity got the upper hand, and when she was twelve Sam started experimenting. It was just a bit of a laugh for her, whenever she had a few moments alone from her brothers. Sam was youngest of five, and the only daughter, but her brothers weren't shy of letting her play with them. She grew up to be tough and take her space, but she was still a bit on the quiet side because she knew that she was different.

It wasn't her curiosity that got her kicked out when she was fifteen though. It was an accident that made her father find out, despite her mother's best efforts to make excuses and cover it up. One morning when the window had been open and there had been strong winds blowing, Sam had been lifted up and floated out onto the driveway.

Her father had been furious, and her brothers disgusted. They hadn't actually thrown her out, but after two weeks Sam couldn't stand more of the looks and whispered words. She ran away, not sure where she would go but she knew somewhere in her heart that she would be all right.

She stole some money from her parents and, coupled with her own savings, used that to travel away from her home on the country side and toward the Louisiana state border, because she had always wanted to see Mardi Gras in New Orleans. She hadn't gotten very close though, when she ran into a pocket thief in a smaller town. After she'd used her powers to get her stuff back, he was impressed with her and began following her instead.

After a while, Sam simply agreed to talk to him, since he was being rather annoying. His name, he said, was Remy LeBeau, and he was on the run from his family as well. The days passed and Remy helped her a lot, getting food, finding places to sleep and whenever they got the opportunity, practicing her powers a little.

Remy changed her course, telling her about a group called the Brotherhood of Mutants, who were working for mutant rights. She agreed to travel north with him, searching for this Brotherhood which Remy had been invited to.

Time passed by and Remy taught Sam how to pickpocket and snatch things from stores. She enjoyed the company, and Remy enjoyed hers. However, when they finally found the Brotherhood it was during a smaller clash with the X-men. Sam saw Magneto and his brotherhood, unafraid of harming anyone around them, and the X-men who were protecting civilians at the risk of their own lives, while the Brotherhood were still attacking.

It was with much sadness that she parted from Remy and joined the opposite side, but she had to do what felt right. She left together with the X-men and hadn't seen Remy since.

* * *

Whenever there was a group of them around, Liandra had no problem listening to their conversation. However, when they tried to include her she felt like backing off and disappearing.

A little earlier, Liandra had been sitting alone, enjoying the sunshine and the sound of the boys on the basket ball court. Then Aymee, Sam and Cassy had come out, the former two immediately jumping on to the court and joining the guys. Cassy had hesitated for a few moments, but then walked over to Liandra and sat down next to her. They had been sitting in silence for a little, until Cassy opened her mouth.

"So, what are your powers? I mean, you saw mine yesterday, so…" Liandra frowned and looked away, pretending to stare at the court. After a little while she muttered, "Telepathy," but she didn't feel like going in on any details.

Cassy smiled, seeming thrilled over the little piece of information she'd been given. "Maybe I could tell you a little about everyone," she said in her usual, quiet voice. She pointed out to the court. "Markus, my boyfriend, has the ability to turn off others senses, his code name is Hush. He doesn't have that much control, sometimes if he tells someone to shut up he'll make them mute and stuff."

"Yeah," came a voice from behind and Kitty dumped herself next to Cassy. "He's gotten into a lot of trouble from Logan because of that. Apparently, Logan's like extra sensitive or something, or maybe Mark is just like more sensitive around Logan."

Cassy blushed and looked down, and Liandra flashed her a tense smile. The younger girl didn't seen too outspoken when there were more people. When Cassy fell silent, Kitty seemed to take it like it was her job to continue. "Otherwise, there's Bobby, his codename is Iceman, and well, he can make ice. Simple really. Usually the codenames can be related to whatever your power is. Then there are exceptions, like, I can phase through objects and my code is Shadowcat." She grinned.

"Then there's Pietro, the one with the silver hair, his code is Quicksilver and he can just run really fast. His whole body is built for it. And Pete, he can turn his body into metal and he's really strong, his code name is Colossus."

Kitty paused and smiled, and Cassy continued, albeit even more quiet than before. "Aymee, you saw yesterday, she can control water and her code's Aqua. She can't actually create water though; just draw it from the air around. Sam controls the air, and she's really strong by now, but she calls herself Breeze."

They kept on like this, telling about different students in the school, and then Kitty left and Cassy came in on teachers. Liandra's mind got pulled back and she listened more closely. "…And Mr. Summers, or Cyclops, he shoots laser beams from his eyes, but he like can't control it so he wears those glasses all the time."

He was the one who had rescued her then, when Pyro had attacked the bar.

"Then Herr Wagner," Cassy said softly with a warmth in her voice. "He's really the sweetest but he's got some bad physical mutations, but he uses an image inducer to hide it. He's not ugly or anything though, he's actually really cute." When she realized what she'd actually said, she blushed a dark pink. "Well, his code is Nightcrawler and he can teleport. He looks like…" She couldn't finish because she was distracted by something on the court. More specifically, Markus had removed his shirt because of the heat.

They sat in silence, leaving Liandra to ponder on how exactly Mr. Wagner looked. Then the game had ended and there were cheers from the court, and Sam, Aymee, Mark and Bobby came and joined them on the grass. Mark was about to pull his shirt back on, but then he saw Cassy's look and he smirked and placed the shirt behind him.

Aymee was drenched in sweat, wearing a loose tank-top and baggy jeans, and Sam was breathing harshly. "What are you guys talking 'bout then?" she asked, letting out her hair and pulling through it with her fingers.

Liandra didn't say anything and Cassy mumbled something. Sam laughed and ruffled her friend's hair, and Aymee sighed but rolled her eyes, smiling widely.

They started talking about something else and Liandra zoomed out a little. The sky was turning pink over the trees of the near-by forest, and she realized how nice it would be to go out for a run. She'd do that, tomorrow morning. It wasn't like she slept much anyway.

* * *

The sun was just rising, the light painting the sky beautiful shades of orange. The air was moving in gentle strokes and the dawning day was filled with sounds of birds chirping. No man-made noises were heard as Liandra made her way through the paths she had found.

Silence filled her mind and for the first time in days she felt relaxed. The tension she'd felt ever since the phone calls began was flowing out of her and she paused to sit down for a moment. She leaned back toward a large, majestic oak tree; looking up she could see flashes of blue in the midst of the green leaves. A squirrel ran across a low-sitting branch and jumped over to a nearby birch.

Just as she felt the most relaxed, a sudden sound made her tense up again. A twig snapped somewhere and Liandra stood up again, drying off her palms on the thighs of her sweatpants.

"Mein Gott," low and mumbled Liandra heard it and recognized it just as well. She raised an eyebrow and leaned against the oak, but didn't relax again. "Who's there?" she asked instead, even though she knew. It was polite.

There was silence for a few moments, and then he cleared his throat. Liandra wasn't terribly amused as she interrupted whatever he was beginning to say. "Have you been following me?"

Silence again for a few moments, the kind that clings to the air like a slimy, fat slug to the ground. Liandra wasn't sure what to do, so she just waited and focused on her breathing, because her chest was doing something funny. "I'm sorry, I vas just sitting out here and I heard you running," came his voice from behind a tree.

"Why are you hiding then?" she asked. "Mister Wagner?"

"Really," he said, chuckling nervously, "Call me Kurt, please." He was avoiding her, she realized and frowned. Something was wrong. Something… broken?

She sighed. "I'd really appreciate it if you'd come out here so I can see it's really you and get on with my running. Or head back to the institute, if it's inappropriate and unsafe of me to be out."

"I just- I can't, right now. It's complicated."

Liandra closed her eyes, again unsure of the response to this. She wasn't used to human contact in this way; customers were either robots or talkers, and neither wanted responses past an occasional 'mhm,' or 'that's no good.'

"Just come on out here." She gnawed at her lower lip. One day she probably would bite through. Mr. Wagner, or Kurt, sighed. "Promise not to scream?" and then he moved out of the shadow.

Liandra stifled a gasp as she saw the creature in front of her, but her eyes widened. The blue-skinned demon-like creature looked at her with yellow eyes. It's, no, his ears were pointed like an elf and his hands had only two thick-set fingers and a thumb each. He was wearing a red-and-black leather costume and she noticed a tail, flicking nervously back and forth behind him.

Despite his demonic appearance, he had a rosary around his neck. The beads were black and hung on a silver chain; the cross black as well, with a small silver Jesus on. Liandra's eyes wandered back to his face and saw his eyes full of shame and fear. Was this really what mutants felt on the inside?

An emotion she rarely felt sprung alive within her. She felt the need to say something, to comfort Kurt, because this creature was actually that the happy-go-lucky man who had tried to make friends with her the previous days, and she had most certainly enjoyed that mans company. She mustered up a smile, even though it hurt inside because she still did not like mutants.

"You're still the same person," she whispered and looked down.

No, she still didn't like mutants. But she was getting there.


	7. Being Human

Disclaimer: Don't own most things. But don't touch the things I do own. I think you know the drill by now.

Hey. I know I said I wouldn't but I did. Update, people!

Go have a look on my page for a link to my deviantArt gallery, where I've published some pictures relating to this p.o.c.

No guarantees for the next chapter. Can't say when exactly, but I can promise I'll try to get it out as soon as possible.

* * *

In the two days that had passed, everything had been quiet at the Brotherhood headquarters. However, two days earlier there had been a terrible disturbance in the usual silence when Mystique had decided she'd had quite enough of Red's presence. 

Dimitria had been wandering the hallways when she heard raised voices coming from Magneto's room. Curious, she'd stopped to listen. Mystique was screaming, presumably at Red, who responded in her usual icy voice. Moments later, Mystique had stormed out of the room, screaming, "It's ME or HER, Erik!"

Magneto made no reply and Mystique, furious, stormed out of the building. Remy and Anya had joined in to watch as well and looked shocked over the whole scene. Dimitria did the smart thing then and walked away before Magneto or Red decided to be angry.

Now, she was sitting in the kitchen doing nothing. She'd just managed to avoid Black Widow, a woman in her mid thirties who had murdered several husbands. Her skin contained a poison she could emit from her lips or hands at will. That woman had it in for Dimitria, or at least profusely enjoyed trying to frighten her.

Pyro entered the room. Gambit was discussing Mystique's leave with Shadow.

"I don't know really," Shadow said in his soft voice. "I guess we'll just have to make do without her. It sets back our plan for November, but Magneto said I could solve that."

Pyro sneered. "I'm glad she's gone," he said. "She was nothing but a nuisance anyway."

Dimitria couldn't help but laugh. "Wow, that's a big word for a lap dog. Where'd you learn that, a word-of-the-day calendar?" Gambit snickered, not so much at the joke as the distraught look on Pyro's face. Even Shadow's lips twitched in the corners. None of them were very fond of the over-confident little brat.

Unable to come up with a comeback, Pyro settled for leaving the room, stomping his feet to the floor. Dimitria chuckled. "Teenagers."

"Hear dat," Gambit said and grinned. "So, Shadow, speakin' a November, how are de plans goin'? It ain't long left now."

Sean smiled meekly. "It's going. As I said, a minor setback now that Mystique ran off. But, _she_ said she would take care of that part of the plan." Gambit winked. "Maybe she be takin' a likin to ya, Shadow."

Dimitria felt like laughing at the mere thought of _her_ having feelings. The day Red felt something, it would be snowing in Hell.

* * *

Liandra knocked carefully on the door. She wasn't really sure about doing this, but a part of her felt she should.

"Come on in," said the voice from inside. She opened the door and entered the study. Professor Xavier was sitting behind the desk, smiling kindly at her, his hands palm together. "Have a seat."

Liandra sat down and remembered that it was the same chair she had sat down in only five days earlier. So much had happened since then, and so much had changed. Her entire world had been turned upside down and all her thoughts were changing. It was strange, how easily she had accepted all these changes. Had she misjudged herself before? It was a possibility.

"I assume you know why you're here," Xavier said, interrupting her thoughts. She nodded. "You want to talk about training my powers."

Xavier cleared his throat. "Not so much your powers as the power of your mind. I wish to train your strength, and I believe that with your permission and cooperation, you have incredible potential. What you need first, is control." Xavier frowned slightly. "The lack of control when your emotions got the better of you is frightening. I can understand why you have repressed your abilities if that is what has happened."

True, Liandra thought. Her lack of control over her telekinetic waves had cost her dearly. She closed her eyes for a moment, chasing away those thoughts. Such memories were not meant for a time like this.

"Will you accept my offer?" Xavier asked, and Liandra noted a tinge of worry in his voice and more so in his eyes. She bit her lower lip and wondered, as so many times these past days, what was the right decision. Would she really be able to return to her life as normal if she went through with things like this, practice and training and danger rooms?

She hadn't had to make so many decisions these past three years of near solitude as these past five days. Suddenly it hit her how scary it really was.

But still she felt herself nod and say, "Yes, I accept." Something bigger than her was making her fate now.

What she didn't know was that that something was deciding the fate of everything.

* * *

"No," she whispered. "Go away. I don't want to take this right now."

Liandra breathed heavily, haunted by memories. Cassy, Sam and Aymee were in class, so she was alone in the bedroom. Her head was pounding from the strain professor Xavier had put her mind through, and he had, if by accident or not, opened a lot of gates she thought had been securely locked.

Flashes of painstakingly clear memories were zooming through her mind. The stepfather who beat them; the brother and sister who took care; the mother who cried at night when she thought they were asleep.

Once, Liandra had two siblings. They were twins, Dana and Dorian, and two years older than their younger sister. Once, a long time ago, the three children had a young, smiling mother with flowers in her hair and song in her voice. The memories of them all hurt so badly, because she knew, she knew what she had done. And that was irreversible.

Death is always irreversible.

Breathing hard, she got out of the bed. She had to lean against the wall, but she got out on the small balcony to get some air. There was something heavy pushing against her chest, forbidding her to breathe deep.

The fresh air and afternoon sun helped. Liandra managed to calm down enough to stand without gripping the railing. She looked out around and noticed someone else, watching as she. He was sitting, crouched on the railing a floor above, humming gently to himself. Crouching was really the best way to describe it, but it wasn't quite accurate. He was sort of perched on the railing, knees up and putting his weight on his feet.

He noticed her, and first looked away. Then he looked back, smiling widely. And somewhere, Liandra found the strength to smile back at him.

The door opened behind her, inside the room, and whatever moment of warmth he had given her disappeared as she turned around to see who came in. As usual, the room suddenly came alive with the bustling sound of Aymee teasing Sam, and Cassy trailing after, unsure of whose side to be on. Only this time, Sam sounded really angry.

"You ruined it, Aymee! That's unforgivable!"

Aymee growled. "It ain't ruined, just broke the glass is all!" she held a picture frame in her hand, and waved it in front of Sam's face. "The picture is still fine, Sam, don't get your knickers in a twist!"

"No, Aymee! I'm sick of your lack of respect for me and my stuff! I'm sick of it! Either you get over yourself and stop being a bloody kid, or… or…" Sam took a pause to consider what she was about to say, and also to breathe. "Or I just can't be your friend any more." She finished, much calmer.

Cassy looked horrified as Sam stormed out of the room. Aymee growled and crossed her arms. "You- you- FINE!" she exclaimed, threw the picture on Liandra's bed and stomped out of the room. Cassy, who hadn't noticed Liandra's presence, slowly laid down on the bed and buried her face in a pillow and her shoulders began shaking.

Liandra bit her lip and soundlessly made her way back in the room. This was more difficult than she had ever imagined, but she gathered up strength she didn't know she had, sat down on the edge of Cassy's bed and began gently rubbing the younger girl's shoulders. Dana had done it to her when she was younger, and it had been a comfort back then.

Cassy stiffened up at the touch, but slowly relaxed and after a little while she stopped crying. She sat up, drying her eyes and mumbling "Sorry." Liandra smiled in what she hoped was a comforting way. "It's nothing really," she mumbled back. Cassy smiled and her cheeks were a bit red.

"I'm just gonna- um, you know," she was feeling awkward about the situation she had put Liandra in, "Well, I'll go to Mark," she finished and Liandra nodded.

As Cassy left, Liandra looked over to her own bed were the photograph was lying. It pictured a young man with a charming, sexy smile and sunglasses. She recognized him and within moments it struck her. This was the man from the Brotherhood who had come to her apartment when Kurt had taken her there to get her things, Remy LeBeau.

"That's mine, thank you very much," Sam said in a very grouchy voice, coming back into the room and snatching the portrait out of Liandra's hands. She frowned a little. "Do you know him?" Liandra asked.

Sam looked very surprised, because Liandra hadn't asked questions around Sam before. Then she pursed her lips. "None of your beeswax," and she turned on her heel and walked back to the door.

Liandra continued. "It's just that I saw him the other day. At my apartment." Sam froze up and slowly turned around, a dark yet hopeful look on her face. "What?" she whispered, unsure of what else to ask, of what to say. "Do you- do you know where he is?"

She shook her head. "I'm… sorry. I don't." Now Liandra knew something was wrong, too. She'd never apologized like this before.

Sam sighed. "It's ok. Never mind, I mean, he's with the enemy now anyway. See ya, Annie." The fake cheeriness in Sam's voice didn't quite reach her face, full of disappointment and somewhere a hint of loneliness.

Liandra sat down on her bed as Sam walked out the door. She looked out the window, up at the sky. And she felt a lonely tear trickling down her cheek.


	8. First Fight

As Liandra woke up from yet another nightmare-free night, the third that week, there was no doubt in her mind that this past month at the Xavier Institute had changed her drastically. She smiled more, probably more in this past month than she'd done since she was a kid. Cassy and she had gotten a little closer, although both of them still held their ground.

The control Liandra had gained over her powers felt phenomenal. No more did she know everything about a person the moment they stepped within her range, and now that her control didn't depend on her emotions she would get a bit more vivacious.

Things couldn't be going more in the right direction, and even though it frightened her how much progress she'd made in one month, she felt happy. Even so, living with the thought of how any moment all this could be taken away from her wore her out a little.

Meanwhile, things had happened around Liandra. Sam had gotten the nerve up to actually talk a bit to Peter, so even if nothing had really happened between the two they were a step on the way, which Aymee reminded Sam of every night. That was, not that it was a step on the way but rather that there were many steps left.

Aymee had looked a bit cheerier in the past days, having gotten a sweet letter from her girlfriend in England, which Sam of course had stolen and read out loud, to Aymee's great dismay.

Cassy and Markus were still hanging out, and Cassy seemed to be getting a bit more outspoken and gaining a little more confidence all the time.

Getting dressed, Liandra smiled and walked out on the small balcony. She glanced up and waved to Kurt, who was sitting there as well, grinning at her. It was a bit of a morning routine by now.

* * *

"Tonight."

Five heads turned to look at the solemn young man.

"Everyone, get ready. We're doing this tonight." He glanced at them all. At their surprised faces. And he felt frightened.

* * *

"Ugh, I can't believe the homework we got from Ms Munroe!" Sam slammed down her book on the ground and dropped down herself. "And we've got Danger room with Logan this afternoon! Can this day get any worse?"

Liandra smiled and looked up at the sky. "You've had it easy. I've been with Professor Xavier all day, I feel exhausted. But somehow, I'm still signed up for Danger room too."

Sam shrugged. "At least you don't have schoolwork. You lucky cheese."

Liandra chuckled and Sam opened the book to study. "I'll see you later, Sam. Gotta get to the Danger room."

* * *

"This is the Blackbird. Pride o' the X-men she is." Despite the loving note there was a hint of coldness in Logan's voice when he spoke to Liandra. He still hadn't forgiven her for hitting him over the head with a tray, little more than a month ago.

He was showing her the jet affectionately dubbed the Blackbird. Liandra wasn't much for technology, but she had to admit that the things Logan told her about this airplane sounded impressive.

She was sitting in the co-pilot seat when Logan froze up mid-sentence and stared blankly ahead. Liandra immediately understood what that meant and tapped into the telepathic waves around them.

"…emergency, all x-men gather in the Blackbird immediately. Liandra, I guess you deserve to come along as well."

Ten minutes later, the entire team was gathered in the jet, all suited up. The team consisted of Cyclops, the leader, Storm, Wolverine, Nightcrawler, Rogue, Iceman and of course Professor Xavier. Liandra sat in a chair in the back, unsure of what to do as the Professor briefed them.

"The brotherhood have initiated an attack on the White house. There are a lot of civilians there and they are not afraid of harming anyone."

"What are they demanding, Professor? Magneto doesn't usually attack without a purpose," Cyclops asked. Xavier shook his head. "I don't know, Cyclops. I don't know any more than that he is there right now."

Wolverine grunted. "Sounds more like a trap ta me," he growled. "Like they're wantin' us ta go there."

Xavier shook his head again. "It can't be helped. Our first priority is to rescue the civilians and the president. Then we can deal with what Magneto wants, if possible."

Logan cracked his knuckles. "And the kid?" no one doubted that Logan was talking about Liandra. They had all been thinking it, but only Logan had the guts to ask. "She's not ready for somethin' like this, Chuck."

Rogue snorted. "Logan, you said the same about us last time, sugah. She's ready if she feels like it, and otherwise she'll jus' stay in the jet. Right, Annie?"

Liandra didn't answer and the topic returned to the mission. After another few minutes, Cyclops started the jet and they were on their way.

Kurt came back and sat down in the chair next to her with a reassuring smile. "You are nervous, nein?" Liandra didn't answer. "It is understandable. You have not seen battles before. I myself do not like fighting, but it is about doing vat is necessary." He smiled. "You vill be fine."

Liandra nodded but didn't look at Kurt.

* * *

"We're in."

Dimitria awaited the response from the earphone before she moved. Gambit was behind her, and quite frankly, the sooner they got out of this ventilation system the better. It was crammed and she kept getting the feeling Gambit was checking out her ass.

"Good," Shadow's voice said in the earphone. "Keep going, it should be just ahead for a while, then left. Remember that?" Dimitria rolled her eyes, but replied "Yes" curtly. She crawled along, hearing Gambit following behind her, but they didn't speak. This was the first step; she felt blood rushing through her veins, every sense heightened. No matter what Magneto might say and not, she didn't want to use violence unless she had to.

She'd have fun when she did, but she liked avoiding it.

Turning left, she breathed in some dust and gave a tiny cough. Behind her, Gambit snickered. "Shut up," she muttered, hearing someone walking underneath her. It would be utterly lovely if the floor under her gave away, of course she knew it wouldn't. Why the white house had vents large enough to crawl in, albeit uncomfortably, she had no idea.

"Now what?" she whispered into the mic. There was a few moments pause before the reply came. "Just a little more, then there should be a hatch on the right side."

"Copy." She said and crawled a bit further. She took up her palm and created a little orb of electricity, lighting up the surroundings. True, just a bit ahead there was a hatch, a small one. Gambit would have trouble fitting through. "There," she said to the man behind her and crawled ahead of the hatch. Gambit was incredibly skilled at lock-picking and in just a minute he'd gotten the hatch open. It took him about five minutes to crawl through it though. He was a bit too broad-shouldered for it to go easy.

Dimitria waited patiently. "Electra, report, what's taking such time?" Shadow asked. "Hatch is open," she replied. "But Gambit's having troubles getting through. I'll come back to you when he's down."

Another minute passed before she heard Gambit's voice from underneath. "Coast clear, chere."

Dimitria went down legs first, and Gambit caught her by the waist and helped her down. She glared at him a little, but then summoned another orb to shine up the room they were in. It was a technical room, full of wires and switches and a closed box in which all the electricity was controlled.

"We're in," she said in the mic. "Comencing."

She pointed to the closed box, and Gambit went straight on it. "Copy," said Shadow in the earphone. "Tell us when it's clear for us."

Gambit got the box open without difficulty and moved out of the way with a mock bow, smirking. Dimitria couldn't help but smile a little. She was nervous. This was really it, after doing this there would be no way out of completing tonight's task. The box was full of cords. "One, two, three or four? Green, red, yellow or blue?" she asked Gambit, who shrugged. "Beats me, chere, you be de electrician."

Dmitria smiled. "True. I guess, really, it doesn't matter." She placed her hand over all cords and instead of pulling them out, she focused her energy, drawing electricity out of the wall.

First her hand began glowing. The glow then traveled down her arm, and she felt a tingling sensation under her skin; a sensation that turned to burning as she absorbed more and more.

Once she felt she had enough, she grabbed all the cords and tore them out. Gambit, who had unlocked the door out, peeked out and smirked. "Mission complete," he said. "We're done," Dimitria said in the mic.

"Good." Was the only response she got. That meant that they could begin moving out.

Gambit and Dimitria split up outside in the corridor. She didn't meet anyone for a few minutes, but ran into a whole group of guards. They noticed her clearly, since she was glowing.

"Over here!" one of them yelled, pulling out a gun. "I've got one! Freeze!"

Other voices chipped in. "Don't move! Stand still or we'll shoot!"

Dimitria smirked, full of power. "Really?" she asked and with a flick of the hand she threw electricity on them all. They jerked around in violent spasms, dropping their weapons immediately. But Dimitria didn't stop; laughing, she kept on until they had gotten much higher voltages through their bodies than humans could handle. Some began frothing, their eyes rolled up into their skull. The group of them fell to the floor, dead.

Keeping on without casting so much as a glance behind her, she talked into the microphone. "Can you tell me my location?"

There was about a minute before an answer came. "Trouble. X-men. You're on the right way, just be on your guard." Shadow sounded troubled.

And for a good reason. He wasn't a fighter, yet he was trapped in the middle of the action in a great ballroom. The X-men had arrived very soon after the lights went out; Shadow had wondered briefly how they had found out, but that was before he's been attacked by the blue X-man named Nightcrawler.

Nightcrawler and Shadows powers were similar in the way that neither were very offensive. Their difference being that Nightcrawler knew how to throw a good punch. He was superior to Shadow, who had troubles with finding hiding places.

He had been in shadow form for a while; he could change shapes and remained dark, he could blend with other shadows easily and he could travel much quicker in the shadows than if he would run. He ran past Gambit, who was struggling with two flying X-men, dodged a beam from Cyclops' eyes and hid behind a piece of rubble.

In this moments refuge, he closed his eyes. He didn't much enjoy doing this, but they were so far outnumbered and Shadow felt his strength waning. He was summoning his friend.

Before him rose a figure from the shadows. Tall and thin, with claw-like fingers and the entire body swirling around itself, a large hat topped the creature and one large, gleaming eye stared out over the scene. A large grin formed, revealing sharp teeth.

"Shadow," he muttered and stood up, now back in human form. "Help."

There was no need to tell the creature more. It glided out toward the nearest enemy, a young man he recognized as Iceman, and before he had time to react the creature and enveloped him in darkness. When the creature moved on, Iceman was passed out.

Shadow couldn't help but laughing a little as his creature set out for its next victim. He looked up and saw that the ceiling was cracking. Finally, help was arriving. Two people ascended slowly in a telekinetic bubble.

While his attention was on Magneto, he didn't notice his foe creeping silently up behind him. The creature, just about to swallow up Storm, dispersed into nothingness as Rogue had touched Shadow's cheek. Before everything went black, he heard Rogue gasp behind him.

"Phoenix!"

* * *

I'm so sorry this is so late, but I've been way to busy to do anything. Before last week I came home after seven-eight every evening and still had homework to do, and I worked all weekend. But now I'm back and with the realization that there's not much left of this story now.  
Right now I'm feeling a bit bad because I've damaged my hand somehow and even sitting by the computer hurts. But I finished the chapter at least. At last xP

Again, no guarantees on when I can get the next chapter up. However, I can say that there is some fanart on my Deviant Art account. Take a look on my page to get a link. There will be more up soon enough, since I'm getting a tablet for my birthday.

Thank you all for reading, and remember that I appreciate reviews x3


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